bridge

Can anyone recommend a GOOD vet in Chiang Mai please.

THANKS

From the DIAC website . This may answer some questions.

http://www.immi.gov.au/migrants/family/questions-answers.htm

Good link. Plenty of info there. Thanks Electau.

I have been advised to apply for a 1 year multiply entry visa for my wife and her son to come Australia because of the long delays,however this means 2 things 1)she cannot work when she gets here and 2)her son cannot go to school so we are going to have to home teach,which because of him only speaking Thai will be pretty hard.

there is also the extra costs in going back to Thailand for the medical etc.

My question is why is this happening,is it because of all the illegal entries into Aust or is it lack of staff at the Embassies.

Can anyone advised about the schooling situation?

Who advised you to apply for a 1 year multiple entry tourist visa, was it the Australian Embassy, Bangkok?

Another member of this forum (well actually his wife) recently applied for and was granted 6 months tourist visa (single entry). He was subsequently informed from someone high up in the DIAC office at the Embassy that where tourist visa applications are lodged to visit Australia during the processing of a partner visa application, only 3 months will be granted.

Question: Has anyone recently applied for a tourist visa to visit Australia during the processing of an offshore partner visa application? If so, how long a stay was applied for, and what was granted?

Not exactly sure what you mean about the 'schooling situation', but tourist visa holder are eligible to study for up to 3 months on a tourist visa.

Which visa is issued is at the discretion of the Embassy.....

You may ask for a 12 month ME and get a 6 or 3 month single entry,

You might ask for 6 month and a 12 or 3 month

You can ask for a 3 month and end up with a 12 or 6 month

Or you may actually get what you ask for.

In other words......Ask for the visa you want.....accept the visa you get.

I agree with this post by gburns57au. You wont get what you don't ask for. At the end of the day it comes down to the substance of the application. I have said it many times before, a good/solid application is not just a completed Form 48R but the supporting documentation that accompanies it.

At the end of the day it comes down to how strong the

This is absolutely disgraceful by the Australian Government that waiting times are so long, being married myself with a thai wife and son (dual citizenship)

I was going to put in her application in august to come live in oz with me guess its another hole year before my son and wife can live with me as a family.

This is not acceptable in any way whatsoever and i will be writing to julia a very well worded letter and if there is no response i will be going to anybody that listens

newspapers, T.v, radio, my local member of parliament who ever i can to get the response i want to here.

It is about time The Australian Government started to do something about waiting times at the Thai embassy, i urge everybody in the same situation to do the same

so that we are heard and get a satisfactory result.

Why is it that my mates American wife can apply and be given her visa to live here in 5 working days ???and yet if you are a Thai national then you can just wait, we the oz government say

F.U Thailand nationals we do not care 1 bit about you and your new family Discrimination i think.

Am I Peed right off, you F.......ing Bet I am and everybody in the same situation should be too lets start doing something about this. .

Actually it is the Australian Embassy in Thailand that processes applications to Oz, Nothing to do with the Thai Embassy.

There is a way you can get your family here in less than 6 months.....If you were to settle down and stop being outraged and start using your head, you'd work it out. No I cant tell you.

Graham,

I fully empathize with timestamps frustration. He has every right to be outraged - I don't blame him at all . Processing times have now gone from 3 months to 13 month's. That is a disgrace.

However writing to Gillard would be akin to pissing in the wind.

Would this 13 months apply to new applications only possibly those lodged at the same time or after the price rise?

Or would those already lodged prior to July 1 still have a 10 month time frame.

Hi Raymp,

A bit of conflicting information, but I think the general view is this.

Applications submitted prior to 7th of Feb are being processed under the previous 3 month standard processing times. In fact if that is the case, most should be processed by now right? Question: Has anyone here submitted an offshore partner visa application (subclass 309) to the Australian Embassy, Bangkok prior to 07/02/2011 and still waiting a determination?

ALL applications submitted after that date are hoped to be processed now between 10 to 12 months. This is the info I have received recently from inquiries I have made.

I have seen this many times to in relation to Australian visas. People turning up in the morning to VFS and filling in application forms without providing any supporting documentation whatsoever. Do they wonder why the get refused??

Walen added me as a friend. I deleted the friendship.

Walen added me again as a friend. I deleted the friendship again.

Will this be a long and boring story?

For the sake of his students, I hope that Walen's schooladministration is in a better shape than his marketing.

But of course, you can study russian at that school, get an ED visa for that, and not risk that immigration will ever test your progress.

Walen, we spam.

I sent you a friend request, perhaps it was twice. If this bothers you so much just block and delete me. Simple solution. It was not meant to upset you. Also sending you a friend request is not spamming.

Shame on you Walen.

You just added me a THIRD time.

Fix your software AND your attitude.

Simple solution - if I may be so bold as to quote you.

Sounds like you have a Stalker.

howareyou

If everything ran so smoothly that would be the perfect outcome.

What I am hearing is that applicants applying for tourist visas during the processing of a partner visa application are being asked to do the medicals now. In any event if an applicant applies for a tourist visa for a stay of more than 3 months they are required to undertake a radiological examination anyway.

The case officer that handles the partner visa application will not be the same as the one that handles the tourist visa application. With processing being so lengthy now the interview for the partner visa application will definitely not be in the early part of the processing period. It is not possible to dictate to DIAC when you want the interview will take place either unfortunately.

Is It possible for Sparky to get the medicals done in Australia?

Medicals have to be done offshore.

Okay excellent information once again Bridge, just one question mate, if my Wife is over here on the Visitors Visa, will she be able to do the medical when she returns after 3 months ? or does it have to be done when requested ?

When she submits the tourist visa application she would tell them (DIAC) that she has already submitted the partner visa application to the Oz Embassy, BKK, which is currently under processing (Q.36 of the 48R - re previous PR applications). What they are doing currently is sending applicants of to get the medical/xray out of the way. I would however included a covering letter that your wife is lodging her tourist visa application to visit Australia during the processing of her partner visa application. Nothing wrong at all with that.

My wife and I submitted our application in early May of this year, it took a couple of phone calls from myself to actually find out our case number and case officer name. My wife has still yet to be contacted by the case officer, so we have been waiting for this to occur, to enable her to do her Medical before we organise a Visitor Visa. Problem is we have no idea how long its going to take, and is it worth getting her over soon, and run the risk of getting a phone call 2 weeks after she arrives her asking her to do her medical.

What would others recommend we do ? waiting around like this is absolutely outrageous, we are legally married, but it seems that does not mean anything to them. I understand there is protocol and large waiting times, but its crazy the way they make you just sit around without any contact at all. Very unprofessional in my opinion.

Oh well, the waits on but it would be great to just get the medical out of the way. I am going to send through the visitor visa anyway, and state on the application that we would request her do her medical as soon as possible, also noting down case number and case officer. Anyone else going through this frustrating process ?

Hi Sparky2205,

Your wife has only just submitted her partner visa application two months ago. Standard processing time is currently 10 to 12 months so you do have quite a bit of a wait in front of you unfortunately. Under new eHealth procedures your wife can only undertake medicals (medical and X-ray) for her partner visa once advised to do so by the Embassy in BKK. There is of course nothing stopping your wife applying for a tourist visa now to visit Australia during the processing period of her partner visa application. Turboadam did just that and his wife is currently in Australia on a 6 month tourist visa. His wife's partner visa application was lodged mid June.

Bridge

Once you get the letter from VFS, attend Royal Thai Police HQ. When you walk through the front gates asked them for directions. For what it is worth they are very efficient there. They will do the fingerprints and all. Before you leave they will have you write your address on an envelope and that is where the certificate will be sent to. Currently about 10 working days I think.

Your wife will also need a police check from the Philippines.

If the OP means a 12 month tourist visa with exit every three months then it is quite likely that having gotten an initial three month tourist visa she will be granted a 12 month multi exit re entry visa.

This has been the norm for many of us who have gone down the same path.

What condition you get on your visa is hard to say but my girlfriend did not have the 8503 condition on her visa. If you do have to go back to Thailand her visa to Australia should still be valid it will be more a matter of getting the timing right for when she can come back.

I would be interested to know how many people here have had partners, friends etc who have been granted 12 months multiple entry. From my experience they are not handed out like candy. Would be very interested to hear of other people experiences.

Bridge

She will need that letter too.

Thanks, Bridge.

Attached is a sample of the letter you will need to obtain from VFS. Obviously as your wife is Filipino she will not have all of the documents listed there.

SAMPLE_0001.pdf

Do they require theTabien Ban to be a certified copy or just a photo copy ?

With reagrds to the Royal Thai Police, that im not sure. You will need the check with them sorry.

She will need that letter too.

"you are getting boring with your, you are digging yourself deeper all the time". Pethaps you have confused me with someone else.

How to Obtain a Royal Thai Police Clearance Certificate

Firstly need to attend the Australian Visa Application Centre (VFS) located at:

Australia Visa Application Centre

Thai CC Tower, 34th Floor

889 South Sathorn Road,

Bangkok

Business hours are Monday to Friday 08.30 to 15:00. If traveling to VFS by Sky Train it is only a 3 minute walk from Surasak BTS Station (take exit no. 2).

Applicant must take their passport with them. At VFS you needs inform them that you want an ‘ Application for Entry to Australia - Request for Thai Penal Record Check’ for a partner visa application. They will then generate a letter which the applicant then needs to take to Royal Thai Police Headquarters on Rama 1 Road, Bangkok. Again, only a short walk from Siam BTS Station.

Royal Thai Police Headquarters, Bangkok

At the Royal Thai Police Headquarters applicant will need to produce the letter referred to above obtained at VFS as well as the following documents:

• Her passport.

• Her Thai ID card.

• Two colour passport photographs.

• Household registration (Tabien Ban).

• Any evidence of change of name (if applicable).

Processing time is approximately 10 working days.

Would help if you mention the country you are referring to.

15 working days without fingerptints.

30 working days for fingerprint checks.

These are estimates provided by AFP. Can always take longer if additional info is required.

Probably add on a couple of weeks for postage as well

We have to take my wife's passport and work permit to apply for the police clearance. What pages of her passport do I need to copy? Is it just the front data page, or the visa pages as well?

What police clearance are you applying for? Is she Thai?

I am not sure what you mean.

I have been thinking that since we have a student party in Bangkok every year we should make one this year in Chiangmai too. Together with my staff we found a fantastic place! I have been reading Chiangmai forum for a few years now and I have never seen any posts about school parties. Time to change it!

We will give a good example to other school and throw a real good one. We know how to dance like crazy so great fun guaranteed. Last year we had a party in the biggest venue in Sukhumvit, club Insomnia with hundreds of students joining. I will keep you posted.

Walen School - the best school parties!

MacWalen,

You just keeping digging yourself deeper and deeper with this post. What 'examples' will you give to other schools, That MacWalen throws the biggest dance party. Perhaps pitch to adults and not kids, especially in CNX.

ps. Perhaps Spicey's on the moat is available for your dance party.

quumLupCup,

A tourist visa is for those intending to visit Australia for tourist purposes only. Given that your wife is currently 4.5 months pregnant and you are thinking of applying for a 6 month tourist visa, it is clear that her intention would be to have the baby in Australia. Pay very particular attention to questions 22, 25 and 28 on the Form 48. Providing false information can result in her visa being cancelled if issued.

You may want to look at the possibility of a Medical Treatment Visa (Long stay - subclass 685) that can allow for stays in Australia from 3 to 12 months. This visa is very expensive in the sense that you effectively have to be a full fee paying private patient and evidence that you have made arrangements to pay for ALL medical services etc. There is no access to medicare.

Another important issues is that your wife will have to undertake at radiological examination to be granted the visa. This is something she will need to discuss with her medical practitioner.

Whether your wife can apply for a spouse visa in Australia depends upon whether condition 8503 has been imposed on whatever substantive visa she may have at the time.

Just checking this new 13 month waiting period is for applications submitted as at this new date? Any applications received prior to are 10 months?

can you please give us some good news lol

thanks for the update.

It just keeps getting better

My take on it was applications submitted prior to 7th of February are still 3 months or so. Application since then are between 10 to 12 months.

Thanks, again. We are heading up on Monday to collect her new passport. We'll apply for a police clearance then. I'll come back on my own at the end of the month to submit the application. I presume that she doesn't need to be present when the application is submitted. Is this the case?

They will check the application when it is lodged, they may want to ask questions about something in the application.

Does that mean my wife has to be present or not?

I can say with 100% certainty that your wife does not need to be present at VFS for you to lodge her partner visa application. At the end of the day VFS is only the collection facility. They play no part in the decision making process.